With Every Step
by datkarKatass
Summary: Nepeta Leijon was a very complicated girl. Karkat Vantas was a short, angry boy. John Egbert was the derpiest boy in school. Eridan Ampora was a very desperate guy with no chance of winning Nepeta over. JOHNKAT! Unrequited EriNep. Humanstuck too.
1. Prologue

**With Every Step**

_**Prologue - **_

Nepeta Leijon was a very... _complicated _girl. She was always teased or made fun of by other kids, but her buddy Equius Zahhak would always stand up for her. Her love for cats was almost unnatural, and she loved to play pretend. But one day, in 5th grade, without warning, Equius had to move for a couple years. Nepeta was devastated. Her best friend had said, "It was very suddenly planned, and I didn't have enough time to tell you..." She had replied with a "I hate you!" and ran away. She regretted it the moment it happened because it was the very next day Equius left.

But maybe it was a blessing in disguise? Because only 2 days afterward a new guy came rolling in.

"Class, meet Karkat Vantas. He's moved all the way here from California! Karkat, would you like to say something to your new classmates?" The teacher had introduced Karkat in the nicest way possible, but all Karkat could say was:

"Fuck all you guys." It was needless to say he was sent into the principals office straight away.

But it was also in those 2 days that Nepeta had gotten the worse treatment of her peers. Without Equius around, no one was there to scare them off. But when Karkat came, he sure scared them off _good_. The first time he had stood up against the bullies was at recess, when they had Nepeta cornered against a fence. They kept laughing and laughing and laughing, throwing insults like Babe Ruth threw baseballs. She cried and cried, curling up against the fence in sheer horror. But _just_ when it got too far, Karkat had burst in and punched the leader of the three, knocking him onto the ground. The whimpers the bullies made were priceless.

"You guys are such lowlife fucks to go around bullying girls? You're a bunch of wimps," he had said. Nepeta stared up at the small, angry boy in awe. It was then, and just then, she had fallen in love.


	2. 1 Karkat: Vriska's Party

**A/N: If anyone of you guys notice, I made Nepeta and Karkat _friends_ in this fic. Nepeta still has that unrequited crush, as always. I've got most of this layed all out. It shall be filled with drama. Lots n lots of drama. So if that really isn't your cup of tea, you shouldn't be reading xD I really hate how much of a sadist I can be to fictional characters whom I love and adore with my whole soul OTL...**

**Also sorry for any OOCness...**

**With Every Step**

_**Chapter 1 – Karkat: Vriska's Party**_

Karkat Vantas is a short, angry boy. Sometimes, he just wonders what the fuck he did to end up with such shitty friends. First, there was Sollux Captor. He was a complete asshole, yet his best friend. Second, there was Gamzee Makara. He was almost _always_ high, whether in school or not. Third was Terezi Pyrope, whom he dated in the 7th grade. It didn't last long. Fourth was Nepeta Leijon. She was so obsessive over such small things, it was disgusting. In a cute-kinda way. If that was possible.

Then, last but _not least at all!_, was John **fucking** Egbert. That derp was a saint. The way he smiled, the way he laughed, the way he _anything_, was all perfect in Karkat's eyes. And it pissed him off so fucking bad.

High school wasn't anything like Karkat had pictured. He had friends, he wasn't made fun of all that much, and he actually had a crush. It was obvious to those around him, all except an oblivious few.

John and Karkat met in middle school, at the end of 7th grade. It was right after Karkat had broken up with Terezi. The angry boy was rushing to the bathroom to splash some water on his face to calm himself down. But it was fate, at least to Karkat, that he had bumped into John. Karkat glared at the boy, but he just gave a faint smile back. Karkat had rushed on ahead, only looking back once to see the boy standing up and brushing himself off, like nothing happened. It was later that day Karkat found out the boys name. He had called him over at lunch, which they apparently had together, and said sorry while saying his own name.

The derp offered for Karkat to sit with him and his friend Dave, who he instantly hated. Since the boy was trying to avoid Terezi, who he also had lunch with, accepted without a second thought. It was there, as he spent more and more time with John, eventually developed a crush.

Now, back to our story.

As of right now, Karkat was in Sollux's room, playing some video game he didn't give a shit about. "God fucking _damnit_!" he cursed, almost throwing down the controller as he died, yet again.

Sollux grinned at him. "Dont be thuch a lother KK. We both know I'm better at this anywayth," he boasted with that damned lisp of his.

Karkat glared at him. "Yeah, yeah. Bluh, bluh, bluh brag some more, asshole," he grumbled, looking away from his best friend.

Sollux rolled his eyes. He turned off the TV, which in turn turned off the game station. "Tho, I heard VK ith hothting another huge party tonight. You in?" he asked as he flopped onto his back, glancing over at Karkat.

"Yeah, I guess. It's not like there's too much to do at my fucking house anyways, since Dad's always gone," Karkat said with a sigh, glaring at the floor.

"I think John might be going too..."

"I'm in."

Karkat had to force back an on-coming blush, thinking he had answered that _way_ too fast. Sollux laughed in reply. "Nepeta thaid thhe might be going too. You two thould totally hook up. You make a great couple," he chuckled. Karkat glared intensely at his friend, who only gave another laugh. "I'm jutht thaying, KK. It's tho obviouth thhe liketh you."

Now it was Karkat's turn to roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Fucking bullshit. She _obviously_ likes this 'Equius' guy. She fucking talks about him _non-stop_. It gets tiring after a while," he grumbled, turning his glare back to the floor.

Sollux grinned mischievously at his grumpy friend. "Ith that _jealouthy_ I hear, KK?"

Karkat turned towards Sollux, flushed a bright red. "Are you fucking _kidding _me? She's only a friend. Besides, she could _never_ compare to John. John is fucking perfect, okay? There's no wa-" He stopped himself in mid sentence, preventing himself from rambling about John, yet again.

Sollux sat up and gave a wave of his hand. "Yeah, yeah. I know the thtory. John ith perfect in every thingle way. No one can change that," he mocked, giving Karkat a grin as he did so. Karkat opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, he crossed his arms and glared over at the wall.

"Oh yeah! I thould probably have mentioned thith thooner," Sollux started, putting his finger on his chin thoughtfully. "Nepeta thayth that thhe'th having problemth with Eridan again. He keepth flirting with her. It'th tho pathetic."

"No need to tell me twice," Karkat sighed. "I swear he _never_ leaves her the fuck alone. Can't that guy go on liking someone _else_?"

"Like John?" Sollux questioned.

"Not John. If he starts flirting with John I'll fucking kill him," Karkat said darkly, his glare at the wall intensifying.

Sollux gave a shrug in return. "Wanna get back to playing the game?" he asked, picking up the remote.

Karkat looked at him scowled. "I'll beat you this time." And with that, the TV was turned on and game was set.

It was a bit late at night when Karkat and Sollux had arrived at Vriska's house. She was wearing the most revealing tank top ever, not to mention her brand skinny jeans. "Hey guuuuuuuuys, come on in!" she dragged out in that usual bitchy tone of hers. Sollux gave a nod to Vriska as he walked in, while Karkat just ignored her.

The air in that house was suffocating. It smelled like alchohal and weed. Or any type of drug that even let out a smell. The livingroom was packed full of people, dancing or just hanging around. There were drinkers, people getting high, and those slutty girls who think they can basically get in any guys pants. Needless to say, Karkat was disgusted.

He gave out a cough, holding his hand over his mouth and nose. "Damnit, this is exactly _why_ I don't fucking like it here!" he yelped over the loud music. Sollux apparently didn't hear him as he tredged on. It wasn't long before Karkat had gotten left behind. He let out a groan and made his way to the backyard patio, complete with a swimming pool and everything.

"Hi, Karkitty!" a familiar cutesy voice called out as a short brown-haired girl ran over to him. She wore her regular pink kitty cat shirt and slightly baggy blue jeans.

Karkat scowled to himself, glancing over at Nepeta. "Hi, Nepeta," he grumbled.

The short girl frowned up at him. "What's wrong? Do you not like it here?" she asked curiously. She waited a second or two for Karkat to answer. But when no such answer came she pouted and crossed her arms, looking away. "You don't have to ignore me..."

"I just don't like parties, okay? I only fucking came 'cuz Sollux told me someone might be here. Anyways, it isn't any of your-" he began, but looked over at Nepeta to see her looking up at him with the most _cutest_, but saddest face she could put on. He heaved a sigh, patting her on the head once.

Nepeta giggled, smiling. "Well, if they aren't here, we could always-" She was interrupted by a familiar derpy voice. "Karkat!" it called. Karkat looked over to his left to see John. His lip twitched slightly, and Nepeta _definitely_ noticed. "O-oh... Well, I'll see you later then, Karkitty!" she said quickly, biting her lip. Karkat looked over at her with a confused look, but she quickly ran off.

John came practically _prancing_ over to Karkat, a huge toothy grin on his face. "I didn't expect to see you here! You _never_ come to Vriska's parties!" he said happily.

Karkat rolled his eyes. "I _always_ come to Vriska's parties. I just usually leave early cuz I get bored out of my fucking mind and having nothing to do," he said grumpily, looking away with his arms crossed.

John giggled, yes _giggled_, at Karkat with an even larger smile. "You should tell me ahead of time! I would 'totally give you a lift', as Dave would say it!" he said happily.

Karkat gave a scoff at Dave's name, a flare of frustration developing. "You drive?" he asked, scowling.

John frowned. "W-well... not really, no..." he sighed, looking down. He then brightened up and suddenly looked up at Karkat with a determined expression, making him a jump a bit. "But I'm learning! And as soon as I do, I promise to take everyone somewhere special in celebration!" he cheered.

Karkat's usual frown wavered a bit. Oh, how he loved this boy. "I don't know if you realize, but I'm not going anywhere with that fucking Strider," he grumbled, looking away.

John let out an 'awww' and his smile turned back into a frown. "But Dave's my best bro!" he complained, then pondered for a bit. "I know!" he suddenly exclaimed, startling Karkat once more. "We could hang out somewhere together! You... wouldn't mind that, right?" He hesitantly looked at Karkat.

Karkat blinked. He paused a bit, before letting out a defeated sigh. "Yeah, okay. But only after you have more practice with driving! I don't want to be in a fucking accident the first time we're going out somewhere," he grumbled.

John gave Karkat a confused look. "First time? But we hang out all the time!" he pointed out.

Karkat inwardly facepalmed, letting out a groan. "I meant _alone_, dumbass," he sighed.

John's mouth formed into an 'o' kinda shape. "Oh! Oh... okay. Yeah, we never hang out that much alone, have we?" he said with a nervous laugh.

Karkat rolled his eyes, about to say something before he heard a very... feline-sounding screech, yelling following. He knew right away who and what it was, and rushed off. Not before telling John he'd be back, of course.

And there he was – a drunk Eridan Ampora hitting on poor Nepeta Leijon. Again. "Ampurra, let go!" she squealed, struggling against his grip on her wrist.

"But Nep," Eridan dragged, a hiccup following. "It's just a kiss. I'm suuuure you'll want mo-"

"Fucking let go of her, Ampora!" Karkat hissed, launching himself in front of Nepeta and punching Eridan in the jaw – just like he had in 5th grade. But with different circumstances. Nepeta clung to the back of Karkat's shirt, tears streaming.

Eridan regained his balance, some-what, rubbing his jaw. He glared at Karkat. "_You_," he hissed.

Karkat glared right back. "Yes,_ me_," he growled. "Do you _really_ want to do this, Ampora? Do you?" Nepeta peeked at Eridan from behind Karkat, whimpering softly.

"And if I said I do?" Eridan slurred. "I'm sure _nobody_ will stop us." Nepeta hid once more, clinging tighter onto Karkats shirt.

Karkat bristled with anger. "Okay you are _o_-"

"Both of you, stop!" a bitchy voice yelled. Vriska Serket came waltzing over, glaring at the two. "Do you two aaaaaaaallways have to ruin my parties? Both of you get out. Now."

"But Vrissss-" Eridan started, but was interrupted.

"Out!" she hissed.

Karkat glowered at Eridan, then turned to Nepeta. "Think you'll be okay, now?" he asked, looking away. She stared up at Karkat with tear-filled eyes. She let out a small whimper, giving a nod. "Good. I'm outta here."

Soon, Sollux also appeared. "Jethuth, KK. You've done it again," he groaned.

"Yeah, yeah, whimpy. I get it. Let's just leave," Karkat grumbled, practically stomping to the front door.

John had watched from a distace, frowning at his grumpy friend. "Karkat..."


	3. 2 John: The Mall

**A/N: So, here we are! The 2****nd**** chapter... Thank you Lexus, ****Nemesis Gutierrez, Soul-Whisperer, and oddsoul for the reviews! Sorry I didn't mention you guys who reviewed the Prologue in Chapter 1 D: And so now we're with John! Be patient my friends, this IS JohnKat. It just will happen... later than sooner oAo By the way, Nepeta doesn't do any cat puns in here. It's rather with nicknames instead. Enjoy Chapter 2!**

**With Every Step**

_**Chapter 2 – John: The Mall**_

John was the derpiest boy in school. He's been teased for it constantly since elementary school. But his best bro, Dave Strider, always stood up for him John had known Dave his entire life – since they were babies. Their dads were best friends in high school, and they still are.

A backpack landed with a 'thump' next to John, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. Above him stood Dave, his cool kid sunglasses still ever-present. "Hi Dave!" the derp greeted cheerfully.

Dave gave him a nod, sitting down in the desk next to Johns. "That was some party last night, huh?" he commented.

John nodded. "Yeah! It was _really_ fun!" he said. "It was a shame Karkat had to leave so early though..."

Dave was silent for a few seconds, before turning to face John. "Yo, Egderp, do you like Vantas?" he asked.

John looked over at Dave with a bewildered expression. "Of course I like Karkat! Why would y- Oh..." He stopped himself, soon realizing exactly what Dave meant. "N-no! I don't _like_ like Karkat! I'm not a homosexual!" he stammered with a pout.

Dave stared at John behind his sunglasses, making him nervous. "Whatever you say, man," he said after a long few seconds. John gave him another frown before the teacher walked in, beginning her lesson.

The class ended sooner than expected. The teacher had a sudden crisis to go to the last few minutes of class. The whole class began to whisper as soon as she rushed out of the classroom. When a substitute walked in shortly afterwards saying that everything was okay, everyone burst into their little talking groups.

"Egderp, you doin' anything after school?" Dave asked, turning to look at John.

John thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "No... I don't think so..." he murmured. "But Jade is going over to Rose's house."

Dave nodded. "I'll wait at the mall entrence at 4," he said, the bell ringing shortly after. He stood up, slinging his backpack back over his shoulder.

"Wha... Wait! Dave!" John yelped, standing up. He frowned as Dave disappeared out the door. He let out a sigh, picking up his backpack and leaving as well. He soon spotted his best buddy up ahead, talking to a certain feline-like girl. "Karkat!" he called out, running over.

Karkat turned at looked over at John, scowling. John smiled back, knowing the scowl was just hiding his joy. "What, Egbert?" he grumbled.

Nepeta peeked out and smiled brightly. "Hi, John!" she giggled. "Me and Karkitty were just talking about the party last night!"

John smiled at Nepeta. "That's right! I didn't see you afterwards. Did you leave?" he asked.

Nepeta shook her head. "Nope! Vwiskers just kept an eye on me all night, is all," she said. "Other then that incident, it was a very fun night! No offense, Karkitty." She earned a half-assed growl in response.

"Oh well that's good," John sighed with relief. "Vriska is a great girl, isn't she?" Nepeta replied with a nod, giggling.

Karkat grimaced. "Well, if you two are done talking about that spider bitch, I'll be leaving now," he hissed, turning to walk off.

"Wait! Karkat, do you want to hang out after school with me?" John asked. "Nepeta, you can come too if you want." He smiled at the girl.

Karkat paused, then let out a sigh. "Yeah, sure. I'll be there. Where and what time?" he asked, looking back over his shoulder at John.

"It'll be infront of the mall at 4," John answered, a bright smile forming. Karkat gave a slight nod in response.

"I'll be there too!" Nepeta said quickly. John looked back at her and gave her an 'okay.'

…

"What the FUCK is _he_ doing here, Egbert?" Karkat growled, glaring at Dave.

"O-oh yeah... Dave invited me first..." John murmured, laughing nervously. Karkat glared at John, who winced in return.

"Calm down, Vantas. I won't touch your boyfriend," Dave said cooly, turning.

John and Karkat blushed, Nepeta staring at Dave with shock. "D-Dave! We aren't- I'm not a homosexual!" John yelped. Dave waved at John, who soon followed with a frown.

Nepeta recovered and looked at Karkat, who was still struck speechless. "K-Karkitty?" she squeaked. He snapped out of his chance and looked at her. He shook off the surprise and brushed past her. She followed shortly after, letting out a small whimper.

Dave gave a run-down of the situation at hand. "First, we're getting something to eat. Then, some store browsing or whatever, and then a movie afterwards," he said. "Okay?"

John nodded with a smile, Karkat grimacing, and Nepeta putting on a confused expression. "What movie are we watching, Dave?" she asked.

"The Avengers. It's the hottest movie out right now, and I haven't seen it yet," he answered simply, beginning to walk off again. "Come on."

John lit up, having wanted to see The Avengers for a while. Though it didn't feature Nic Cage, he was content with some action-packed movie. He rushed after Dave, Karkat and Nepeta following.

…

Screams of joy were heard as the lights began to fade. _This movie has only been out for a week, and it's still really popular! _John thought to himself. _There MUST be people here who have watched it a dozen times!_ And he was proved correctly as some of the people in the theatre spoke along with the lines.

It got _really_ interesting once Loki came in at the near-beginning. There were screams (or rather squeals) surrounding them. Nepeta included. She was sitting next to Karkat, Dave on the other side of her. She laughed along with the crowd, gasping with the crowd, and then laughing some more.

But what was more interesting than the movie, she began to cling to Karkats arm as the end neared. And he didn't even seem to mind! John figured he was really into the movie as well.

"Hulk."

Silence.

"Smash."

Laughter.

"I'm bringing the party to you guys."

Silence.

"That doesn't look like much of a party..."

More laughter.

And when Iron Man was suddenly in space, everyone was on-edge. Nepeta looked like she was about in tears, Karkat's eyes widened with surprise, Dave just... being Dave. John felt like he was about to cry too.

Then he fell back through the portal. But! He might not have made it. Nepeta's tears were flowing by then, Karkat getting a bit teary-eyed too. Dave was still just being Dave.

But then, Iron Man opened his eyes, letting out a smartass joke. Everyone laughed, some girls squealing in relief.

And then, soon afterwards, it was over.

"That was AMAZING!" Nepeta squealed once they were outside the theatre. "Tony was sooo cool! Thor too! I really liked Black Widow! She was sooo badass!" Karkat stared at her for a second, and she soon covered her mouth. "S-sorry..."

John watched as Karkat's lip gave a light twitch, and his stomach turned. He then looked down at his stomach, placing his hand over it. _Weird..._ he thought. He was snapped out of it once Dave called over him, everyone already a few feet away. "Coming!" he replied, smiling that derpy smile.

Nepeta smiled up at Karkat as John ran over to them. _Such an amazing night..._ she thought.


End file.
